Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay Hands-On

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We get some hands-on time with the PC version of this action gem.

By Dan Adams

The Xbox got a good game a while back. Good enough that it inspired me to play it the entire way through. Thankfully that was back in the summer when I had time, but after playing it, I had to wonder... where is the PC version of this game. It's a shooter and a damn good looking one to boot! Those should always be the dominion of the more powerful PCs and the mouse and keyboard controls. Well we're finally getting our PC version of Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and it looks like those people that managed to wait will be in for a treat. While the gameplay remains almost entirely the same, there are some new levels, features, and secrets to find. And all of that is of course along with the sick new high res graphics.

For those that are completely unfamiliar with Riddick, he's a bad ass. He's criminal with little to no conscience that has taken the central role in two movies, Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick. The character is a good one if presented well and the video game, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, does a perfect job of it. He's uncompromising and relentless and it's fun as hell to step into his shoes.

The game takes place before Pitch Black after Riddick manages to get caught by a bounty hunter, which we have to imagine was a very difficult chore. The basic premise is that you, as Riddick, will have to find your way out of Butcher Bay planetary penitentiary. It's a nasty prison for the nastiest criminals in the galaxy. Of course, they have no idea who you are and what you are capable of.

The really great thing about this game is the visceral in your face hand to hand combat that dominates the first portion of the game. While you aren't going to find a complicated fighter here, there are enough moves to keep you occupied, especially when you take the sneaky finishing moves and counters into account. For instance, if a guard attacks you with a gun and you time it right, you can catch the gun, wrench his arms, and point the gun at his own head. Goodbye guard. Sneaky killing is almost more fun than any of that though. Depending on the weapon equipped, you can sneak up behind an enemy and break his neck, slit his throat, bludgeon his fat head, and more. The animations and set of attacks are varied and bloody.

Which is probably something that should be mentioned. This is an M rated game for a reason. The language isn't nice even if the shade of red the vast quantities of blood colors each level with is. This is a violent game where you play a character with violent intentions.

Those that played the Xbox version will know this already of course and are probably wondering about what they can expect to see from the PC version. Well, as I mentioned before, the game is pretty much the Xbox version. There hasn't been anything removed, but there have been a few things added such as a couple of new levels. These levels won't add anything to the story but will blend in seamlessly to the action.

It looks as though one of the main motivations behind adding some new levels could be to add the opportunity to get into the riot guard gear. These mini-mechs are serious machinery and, while they can be destroyed using the right weaponry and tactics, are a huge pain in the ass and can cause some serious problems. The new levels will give us a chance to turn the tables on the guards and don the riot gear to wreak some serious havoc.

There will be some new models as well, including some halfway put together riot guard suits. The drivers inside can be seen and shot, though the weapons mounted on them are still tough as hell.

Aside from the extra unlockables and cigarette packs that can be found throughout the course of the game, there will be some more surprises. Unfortunately the representative for the game was under orders to keep those special things under wraps. I guess the season of giving hasn't quite arrived yet...

Of course, controls will also be different, but shouldn't create too much of a problem for any veterans. While the keyboard and mouse aren't exactly created for analog control of sneaking, hitting the shift key to sneak isn't too difficult. From what I played, as long as you're crouched and hidden, the guards don't seem to pick up too much sound from "quick" sneaking anyway. On the better side, mouse controls are a hell of a lot better for accurate aiming and navigation.

One thing is for certain, Butcher Bay is a really good looking game. It already looked very good on Xbox and they've ported it over with style. Everything is crisp and clear and detailed. We all figured it would look better on the PC, but even hardcore gamers that like to bash the smallest things should end up having nothing but good things to say about it. Unfortunately, we don't have any screens to share with you on the PC version quite yet, but keep checking back as we'll post them as soon as we can get our hands on some.